That’s what I said to myself the other day when I tripped over one of the many spindly, long roots that run through the flood plain I’ve walked on daily for nearly twenty years. I almost fell after my shoe became entangled in the tuber that stretched across the path. My body responded automatically, with a rush of cortisol, rapid heartbeat, hands extended, preparing myself in this sudden battle with gravity.

In this case I won.

Once my heart beat returned to normal, I looked up the trail to see my two-year old Labrador trying to yank one of the long, woody obstructions out of the ground and off the path. I just cracked up. The root is still intact, but she keeps working away at it. It will soon be gone, saving some other hiker the same adrenaline rush of almost crashing to the ground when becoming entangled.

As I finished my walk, I thought about the significance of these knotty obstacles. If not for the complicated web of what I’m certain is miles of nature’s infrastructure, my sacred floodplain would not exist. I would not have been blessed to traverse the mile loop all these years, bearing witness to God’s work through nature. Sun rising, deer grazing, coyote roaming, skunk lumbering, ducks squawking, frogs peeping and a persistent hawk searching.

And me, just walking, and dreaming.

Heading back to what will be my home for just a short while yet, I thought about my roots. Those that served as my foundation, those I’ve grown in this community, the new ones that are springing forth.

I thought about how life is like those darn roots. We can either let it trip us up, or we can embrace it as we stumble our way through, catch our breath, and move on.

Or, you can take it a step further like Luna did. Clear the path to make it easier for others to follow.